strikes stem from the skies
originating between
the clouds & the stars
randomized citizenry
jolted back to life
in the dead of the night
what used to be
infrequent close encounters
has become hell on earth
as if an alien race
nobody can see
plays god from the ether
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
children are born
with war in their DNA
their little bones recycled
from recent burial grounds
reconstructed by an invisible god
trying to get it right
but whatever lessons there might be
do not stick to anything
especially to a child’s DNA
april two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there used to be a park there
look at it now
not a single tree stands
the 2.5 acres transitioned
into a living breathing pancake
leveled to the ground
by the stroke of a wand
turning past reality into a
futuristic burial ground
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
I was an ordinary man
but somewhere along the line
my status was elevated
w/o my knowledge
As far I’m concerned
November was a long time ago
though long before anyone
had the authority to make me a god
I thought I was stuck
in the 21st Century
but somehow all the clocks
tumbled back to zero
Upon awakening
all alone in the desert
I heard rumblings underneath
resembling war drums
like the ones that once ruled
so-called civilizations
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
as if fighting mother nature
isn’t bad enough
we take it upon ourselves
to displace peoples
we barely know
by means of destruction
*
many months after my birth
the moon often
visited my dreams
suggesting
my true father
may well be the god of war
*
the recipe for peace
and restoration
is written on the leaves
of the eucalyptus
and the black locust
only the blind can read
*
as a child I practiced
with bow & arrow
the former becoming
an extension
of my expanding psyche
*
it’s a universal truth
the masses
do not stand a chance
against the select
yet another reason
to escape into the void
march two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
we haven’t a clue who’s in charge
for all we know it could be
the drug cartels
it’s a miracle more aren’t dead
considering the ongoing conflicts
keep going on
news on the weekend is scarce
given all the sporting events
& other entertainment
there seems to be plenty of canceling
going on these days
whether they’re vacations abroad
or entire swaths of territory
victors undoubtedly taking the spoils
just like in the good old days
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
going off the grid
appears to be
the easiest way to escape
all the violence & insanities
surrounding us
—and even then
even then there’s no guarantee
we’d still be alive
in this war-infested world
yet another year
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
The skies were blue
meaning the school children
were outside again
observing
& learning
Used to be it was like an accident
when the sky was blue
some calling it
an (once-upon-a-time) omen
a second coming of sorts
After so many years
the skies were blue again
perhaps an anomaly
inherited from antiquity
redefining what it means to surrender
this day & age
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Looking outside for hours at a time
he doesn’t understand
what’s happening in Gaza
let alone the entire Canaan territories
he only sees the alien cat colony growing
centrally situated kitty corner from his gaze
seemingly expanding day by day
a band slowly working its way
north by northeast toward Lebanon
february two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
eyes open
unsure what day it is
shouldn’t take long to solve
what with living in the digital age
late January
sun unseen for days
hijacked by rising temperatures
having chased away the polar vortex
a mad dash
or maybe a marathon
depends who survived the night
counting heads at the breakfast table
early March
the world still at war
looking out the kitchen window
kids play dodgeball in an old minefield
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
autumn came & went hastily
chasing shadow-like ghosts
into the night
retreating into the dead of winter
once underground
the air became tolerable
inner workings quietly expanding
like a spiderweb in the rafters
the first signs of spring
would arrive later than usual
the missiles & the drones
silencing bird calls
canceling once promising rains
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
Albert Einstein
the information age
hasn’t enlightened the collective mind
having changed little what transpires
on a spinning silver-blue jewel
birds & bees carry on with their
multitude of purposes
actors performing on stage &
the silver screen
wild horses yet incapable
of dragging mick jagger away
rather it may be accelerating
the spread of hatred & contempt
fueled by talking fools
who feed the masses their very own
version of fire & brimstone
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
it’s a new year
and half the world
is starting over
their collective wholes
waiting to rise above the ashes
once lines old & new
have been redrawn
january two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there’s no cause for celebration
when the old man dies
it was his turn the young woman
tries to explain to her child
it’s a surprise there is any celebration
this year let alone any year
outside there is strange activity
as if the infantry
is parachuting over rooftops
flashlights in tow
down below in musty cellars
ordinary citizens
are locking & loading
praying the outside forces
have come in peace
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
there are those unafraid to die
conditioned to care less
about their own body
than other worldly matters
—such as rescuing the distressed
from imminent death
or dying for the sins of others
nothing is really forgotten here
but rather passes on
from various transgressions to the next
eerily similar to ground wars
lasting thousands of years
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
news arrives via various devices
streaming by way of satellite & wire & clouds
explosions of information
bombarding the masses
like bombs of war
by 10:00 am enough is enough
and one by one the various devices
are powered down
or rebooted
the silence of the day deafening
like disturbing echos
reverberating throughout mind & body
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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